{"id":667,"date":"2026-10-26T11:52:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T11:52:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ibsnew.ibsindia.org\/ibsblog\/?p=667"},"modified":"2026-10-26T11:52:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T11:52:05","slug":"common-mistakes-students-make-during-mba-admissions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ibsnew.ibsindia.org\/ibsblog\/2026\/10\/26\/common-mistakes-students-make-during-mba-admissions\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Mistakes Students Make During MBA Admissions"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Dr Vinay Khandelwal, Assistant Professor, IBS Jaipur.<\/em><\/li><\/ul><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Thousands of young, able students spend months each year trying to secure admission to a good business school. Rarely do people consider whether they are training for the right purpose.<\/em><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a little past midnight when Riya finishes her third mock test of the week. She has improved by four marks and wears the smile of the hard-working student who has at last got what she worked for.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her mother asks her a question the next morning that nearly makes Riya laugh. \u201cDear, explain to me why you want to do an MBA?&#8221; Riya is unable to come up with the right reply. After a pause, she says, \u201cEveryone from my batch is doing it. Also, the packages are good, as well.\u201d Her mother nods, but she isn&#8217;t convinced, nor is Riya.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If that moment feels familiar, you are on the right page. Riya represents a lot of students I have met while teaching at the ICFAI Business School (IBS) &#8212; bright, sincere and willing to work hard. Like all aspirants, she has prepared hard for the exam and hardly at all for the decision behind it. That gap is where most mistakes in MBA admissions quietly begin. So let me walk you through Riya&#8217;s year. If you recognise yourself, or your son or daughter, along the way, don&#8217;t worry; noticing a mistake early is the easiest way to fix it.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Mistake 1: Choosing an MBA Because Everyone Else Is<\/strong><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Riya&#8217;s journey began the way many journeys begin, without a real decision. Her cousin had finished an MBA two years earlier and now had the kind of job relatives discuss at weddings. Her three best friends began to prepare in their final year, and her Instagram started to flood with convocation photos and caps in the air. Along the way, Riya began to prepare for an MBA as well.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is what psychologists refer to as social proof. When we don&#8217;t know what to do, we look at people like us, assuming that they must know something that we don&#8217;t. It&#8217;s human nature and sometimes a smart move. The problem is that once a borrowed reason is tested, it usually shatters. The same happens in the interview room, when the panel asks the important question: &#8220;Why an MBA and why now?&#8221;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The solution takes only fifteen minutes. Sit down with a notebook and write one honest paragraph that answers three questions: What kind of work do I want to be doing five years from now? What skills or experience am I missing today? And why is an MBA the right bridge between the two? Don&#8217;t try to make it sound impressive. If you find it hard to write, take that as good news, because you have just discovered your most important preparation task.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Mistake 2: I&#8217;ll Start Properly After Diwali<\/strong><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">October, a family wedding and the holiday season took their turn. The next week seemed like the best week to begin. \u201cAfter Diwali, she told herself, I will get going properly,\u201d she told herself.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s not about being lazy. That&#8217;s what experts refer to as present bias, which means that we care more about how we feel right now than what we might receive months later. We know that studying tonight is at the expense of something we can feel, while the reward is far away in an admission letter, so tomorrow looks like the right day to start! Unfortunately, entrance tests are not waiting for us. For instance, if you start late for IBSAT, which is scheduled to be conducted in December, then you have to complete your entire preparation in a few weeks along with your semester exams and other entrance tests.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cure is one small thing that you can see: an hour each day, a full-length mock each weekend, and a check mark on your wall calendar for every day you do it. After a 5- or 6-day streak, you won&#8217;t want to break it.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Mistake 3: Rehearsing Answers Instead of Knowing Your Story<\/strong><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At IBS, the entrance test is just the first step. Final selection is based on a micro-presentation on a random topic given on the spot, a personal interview, and the candidate\u2019s past experience and academic performance. This holistic process helps the team look beyond scores, understand each candidate, and assign the most suitable campus.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Riya had memorised a few nice lines like: \u201cI want to grow in my leadership skills\u201d and had made it a point never to talk about her second year, when her marks had dropped during a rough period at home. Both options were driven by the need to be liked and both could have a negative effect. All day long, panels listen to statements that are memorised, and a memorised response makes you forgettable. Share your story in a calm manner: what happened, what you did, and what you learned. This can be the most convincing aspect of your narrative.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Mistake 4: Trusting the Biggest Number on the Banner<\/strong><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One Sunday, Riya&#8217;s father laid the newspaper out on the table and pointed to the highest package, advertised by a business school, displayed in bold figures. \u201cHere,\u201d he said proudly and hopefully. This number quietly became Riya&#8217;s measure for each of the colleges she had on her list.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the highest package describes the outcome of exactly one student. Let&#8217;s take a hypothetical batch of 10 people; 8 earn \u20b98 lakh a year, one earns \u20b910 lakh and one earns \u20b940 lakh. The highest package is \u20b940 lakh while an average, which is skewed by that one offer, is \u20b911.4 lakh. Now, arrange all 10 students in order according to their lowest salary to the highest. The student in the middle of the list receives \u20b98 lakh. The middle number is known as the median and provides a more representative picture of a typical result.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Therefore, when you read about MBA placements at any school, you need to ask about the median, the percentage of the batch placed, the types of jobs offered, and the companies offering them. For parents, this is also the time to consider the total cost of the programme, including fees, living expenses and loan interest, and compare this with the realistic outcome. In simple words, assess the ROI of your decision.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Mistake 5: Choosing a Name Instead of a Classroom<\/strong><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You will not spend your two years learning from a brand. You will be spending them in a classroom, with certain teachers, diverse students and a specific approach to education. So, inquire about the way you are going to be taught. At ICFAI Business School, the method of teaching is a purely case-based approach, which means that the majority of classes are based on a real business case that has a challenging decision; you are asked to adopt a particular stance and present your argument to your classmates. The key is to make an informed decision.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few weeks later, Riya finally answered the breakfast question. Her paragraph was short and a little imperfect, but it was her own. She had loved managing the budget for her college fest, and wanted to understand how real businesses make decisions about money. Her mother read it, paused, and smiled.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Admission is not the finish line; it is the first step in becoming a manager. Now if ICFAI Business School is one of the schools in your list, prepare carefully for IBSAT, get to know how IBS teaches, and read its placement information thoughtfully, just as you would for any other school. As parents, pose the breakfast question, and listen to the response. Students, start tonight with that one paragraph. It may be the most important thing you write all year.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is IBSAT?<\/strong><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">IBSAT is the ICFAI Business School Aptitude Test, a two-hour computer-based test for MBA and PGPM admission across IBS campuses. It is usually held in December.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can I apply to IBS with CAT, XAT, GMAT or NMAT scores?<\/strong><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. IBS accepts these scores in place of IBSAT. Confirm the latest list of accepted tests and scores on www.ibsindia.org<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What happens after IBSAT?<\/strong><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shortlisted candidates give a micro-presentation and attend a personal interview. Their past academic record also counts.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can final-year students apply?<\/strong><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, if they graduate by the IBS deadline, with at least 50% marks in any discipline and English as the medium of instruction.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What should I check first in a placement report?<\/strong><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The median package, the share of the batch placed and the roles offered. Explore the companies and sectors, and connect with alumni for a clearer picture.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thousands of young, able students spend months each year trying to secure admission to a good business school. Rarely do people consider whether they are training for the right purpose. It is a little past midnight when Riya finishes her third mock test of the week. She has improved by four marks and wears the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ibsnew.ibsindia.org\/ibsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ibsnew.ibsindia.org\/ibsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ibsnew.ibsindia.org\/ibsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ibsnew.ibsindia.org\/ibsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ibsnew.ibsindia.org\/ibsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=667"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ibsnew.ibsindia.org\/ibsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":669,"href":"https:\/\/ibsnew.ibsindia.org\/ibsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667\/revisions\/669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ibsnew.ibsindia.org\/ibsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ibsnew.ibsindia.org\/ibsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ibsnew.ibsindia.org\/ibsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ibsnew.ibsindia.org\/ibsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}